Indiana Pacers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

James Wiseman Hopes To Seize Opportunity In NBA Return

December 20th, 2025 at 7:15pm CST by Arthur Hill

James Wiseman admits being devastated when the Pacers decided to waive him in October, and he hopes to make a strong impression as he returns to the team, even if his stay may be temporary, writes Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star.

Wiseman’s latest opportunity comes via the hardship exception, which Indiana used to sign him to a 10-day contract earlier today to provide front court depth. He was immediately placed on the active roster for tonight’s game at New Orleans.

“He’s been in California, working out,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “He’s been finding pickup games out there. We worked him out early this morning. He looks great. He’s not in NBA game shape by any stretch, no one can be, but for somebody in his situation, he’s got the best headstart you can probably have.”

As Dopirak explains, Wiseman was the victim of a numbers crunch that led to his early-season release. He was the starting center October 25 against Memphis, marking his first game since tearing his Achilles tendon on opening night of the 2024/25 season, but the Pacers needed to open a roster spot to sign a guard after Andrew Nembhard, T.J. McConnell and Bennedict Mathurin all got hurt. They couldn’t afford the luxury of keeping four centers on the roster and decided to part with Wiseman.

He flew back to Indianapolis after receiving the news and talked with family members to work out his future.

“As soon as it happened, my mom came down, my family came down,” Wiseman said. “I was able to grieve for a little bit. Get that out. You can’t suppress that type of stuff. But as soon as I landed I got in the weight room and used all my anger and kind of worked out. Just trying to get all that out. I just kept working ever since then. I haven’t stopped.”

His relentless training took him to Irvine, California, where he played in pickup games over the past three weeks. His chance to return to the league came when backup center Tony Bradley suffered a fracture on the tip of his thumb. This time Indiana needed help in the middle, and Wiseman got a call on Thursday to meet the team in New Orleans.

Dopirak notes that Wiseman may not see much playing time over the next 10 days, as Jay Huff and Isaiah Jackson handle the bulk of center minutes. Bradley believes he’ll be able to play with a splint on his thumb, even though it limits his ability to shoot and handle the ball.

Wiseman indicated that he’ll be grateful for any playing time he gets, along with the chance to prove to the Pacers and any other teams who may be watching that he’s still worthy of a roster spot.

“I motivated myself knowing there was going to be another way around,” Wiseman said. “So you just gotta keep working and stay ready. … I’m gonna go out there and play my (expletive) hardest. Leave it all out there on the floor. Whatever they want me to do I’m gonna do it. Still enjoy it at the same time and go out there and just play.”

Injury Notes: Poeltl, Barrett, Dante, Sixers, Bradley, Brown

December 20th, 2025 at 5:16pm CST by Luke Adams

Raptors center Jakob Poeltl, who has been dealing with a back issue this season, will miss a second straight game on Saturday as Toronto hosts the Celtics, tweets Michael Grange of Sportsnet.ca.

“We have a long-term plan for him,” head coach Darko Rajakovic said, “which consists of managing this injury and which consists of building his strength, which consists of him playing through a certain level of discomfort.

“But we’re not concerned at all. It’s just something that we are dealing (with) in the middle of the season. If we were in the offseason and you shut him down for two weeks, he would be completely fine, but it’s something we’re really trying to manage day to day. At this point, it’s not to that point that we just need to shut him down. It’s not that serious.”

Meanwhile, Raptors forward RJ Barrett will miss a 12th consecutive game on Saturday due to his right knee sprain, but he’s making progress toward a return. According to Grange (Twitter link), Barrett has resumed on-court activities. The plan is for him to do live work against coaches in the coming days, then participate in practice and scrimmage with teammates.

Here are a few more injury-related updates from around the NBA:

Hawks center N’Faly Dante may have sustained a serious knee injury while playing in the G League for the College Park Skyhawks on Friday. According to John Hollinger (Bluesky links), Dante was in significant pain after awkwardly twisting his right knee following a rebound and had to be carried off the court. It was the big man’s first game since he entered the concussion protocol on December 2, tweets Kevin Chouinard of Hawks.com.
Sixers center Joel Embiid (illness and right knee injury management) will miss a second consecutive game on Saturday vs. Dallas, while forward Paul George (left knee injury management) has also been ruled out, tweets Marc Stein. George hasn’t played both ends of a back-to-back set yet this season, so his absence comes as no surprise after he suited up for Friday’s win over New York.
Pacers center Tony Bradley suffered a fracture on the tip of his thumb, according to head coach Rick Carlisle, who referred to the thumb as “partially functional” with a splint on it, per Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star (Twitter links). While it sounds like Bradley will remain active, the decision to sign James Wiseman to a 10-day contract was directly related to that injury, Carlisle said (Twitter link via Dopirak). While Wiseman will give the team some additional depth, he’s probably not in NBA game shape quite yet, Carlisle admitted.
The Celtics will be without top scorer Jaylen Brown when they take on the Raptors on Saturday night. Brown, who played in 26 of Boston’s first 27 games, has been ruled out due to an illness, per the team (Twitter link).

Pacers Bring Back James Wiseman On 10-Day Deal

December 20th, 2025 at 1:32pm CST by Rory Maher

The Pacers have re-signed center James Wiseman to a 10-day contract via a hardship exception, the team announced in a press release. Indiana ended Gabe McGlothan‘s 10-day hardship deal after just four days in order to bring back Wiseman.

Wiseman, who will be active for Saturday’s game in New Orleans, was released by the Pacers about a week into the 2025/26 regular season amid a wave of backcourt injuries. He had re-signed with Indiana over the summer on a two-year, minimum-salary deal that featured a $1MM partial guarantee (the second season was a team option).

The second overall pick of the 2020 draft, Wiseman has dealt with multiple major injuries during his NBA career, having missed the entire 2021/22 campaign following knee surgery. The 24-year-old also tore his Achilles tendon in Indiana’s regular season opener in October 2024, an injury which sidelined him for the remainder of ’24/25.

In 149 games with Golden State, Detroit and Indiana, Wiseman has averaged 9.1 points and 5.6 rebounds in 18.9 minutes per contest.

While the Pacers have been ravaged by injuries to open ’25/26, their three centers (Jay Huff, Isaiah Jackson and Tony Bradley) have been active for every game to this point, observes Tony East of Circle City Spin (Twitter links).

However, that may change on Saturday, as Bradley has been diagnosed with a fractured right thumb and is considered questionable to suit up against the Pelicans. The addition of Wiseman could mean Bradley will miss some time with the injury, East notes.

McGlothan didn’t play at all in his only game on the Pacers’ active roster, but will still receive his full 10-day salary of $73,153.

Siegel’s Latest: Turner, Bucks, Pacers, Nets, Cavs, Alvarado

December 19th, 2025 at 6:19pm CST by Rory Maher

Multiple reporters have indicated that the Bucks are looking to add win-now help in the coming weeks despite an 11-17 start to the season. Brett Siegel of ClutchPoints has heard similarly, writing that people around the NBA are wondering if Myles Turner could be a trade candidate after signing a four-year, $108.8MM contract with Milwaukee over the summer.

As Siegel explains, the Bucks have a limited number of assets to work with, and Turner would likely draw “significant interest” if he’s made available due to his ability to stretch the floor on offense and protect the rim on defense. The same was true of last season, when Turner was on an expiring contract as a member of the Pacers, per Siegel.

It’s worth pointing out that Turner ($25.3MM) is one of only two Bucks making between $14MM and 54MM in 2025/26, with the other being Kyle Kuzma ($22.4MM). According to Siegel, a trade involving combo forward Kuzma, who is having a modest bounce-back season after a disappointing ’24/25, remains more likely than a potential move including Turner.

While it’s unclear how much interest Kuzma would generate on his own, league sources tell Siegel the Bucks are hopeful they’d be able to deal the 30-year-old because there is currently a dearth of wings available on the market and Kuzma has one additional year left on his contract, which will pay him $20.4MM in ’26/27.

Here are a few more highlights from Siegel’s latest trade rumor round-up:

The Pacers have shown a willingness to discuss Bennedict Mathurin in trades ahead of his 2026 restricted free agency, according to Siegel, who reports that Indiana appears reluctant to make a lucrative long-term investment in the fourth-year wing. While Siegel calls Mathurin the Pacers’ top asset ahead of the February 5 deadline, he also hears that forwards Jarace Walker and Obi Toppin have popped up in early trade talks as Indiana looks for frontcourt upgrades.
Forward Michael Porter Jr. and guard Cam Thomas are a couple of names worth monitoring for the Nets, Seigel writes. Porter, who is thriving as Brooklyn’s top offensive option, is expected to draw interest from contenders. Thomas, meanwhile has the ability to veto trades and there doesn’t seem to be much interest in the 24-year-old, who continues to be sidelined with a left hamstring strain that cost him most of last season. Still, Siegel speculates that Brooklyn might be able to receive a second-round pick or two for the high-scoring guard, even if he’s only a rental — Thomas will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Although the 15-13 Cavaliers have been one of the most disappointing teams to open the season, Cleveland has been plagued by injuries in ’25/26 and has thus far shown no willingness to engage in discussions involving Darius Garland or Jarrett Allen, both of whom have drawn interest from multiple teams, sources tell Siegel. The Cavs have been frustrated by their play and there’s a rising sense of urgency around the team after falling into the play-in picture, but they’re optimistic they’ll be able to turn their season through a combination internal improvements and getting players back from injuries, Siegel adds.
The Hawks are among the teams who have registered interest in fifth-year guard Jose Alvarado, who appears to be the Pelicans player most likely to be moved ahead of the deadline, says Siegel. Indiana and New York have also checked in with New Orleans about Alvarado, Siegel notes.

Central Notes: Bucks, Cavs, Hunter, Buzelis, Mathurin

December 19th, 2025 at 2:56pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks hoped last Thursday’s win over Boston would act as a catalyst as they look to turn their season around. But they’ve since dropped back-to-back games to Brooklyn and Toronto and now have an 11-17 record, with Giannis Antetokounmpo seemingly not close to returning from the calf strain that has sidelined him since December 3.

Still, head coach Doc Rivers said this week that he doesn’t plan to make any major tactical or personnel changes as Milwaukee attempts to get out of its slump, per Steve Megargee of The Associated Press.

“We like our team,” Rivers told reporters on Wednesday. “I really like this team. We’re not playing well. We’re not playing well for a lot of reasons. You don’t recreate the wheel. You just don’t. Teams that do that, then they fail. I’m just being honest. I’ve been around this long enough.

“… We want to tweak things. We like what we run. We like our defensive package overall. We’ve just got to do it better. We’ve got to take care of the ball. But we like the parts of this team, and that has not changed. This is not, ‘OK, guys, we’re five games under .500, let’s blow it all up.’ This is not where we’re at. We’re not even thinking in those terms.”

We have more from around the Central:

Shortly after Chris Fedor of Cleveland.com published a column advocating for the Cavaliers to move De’Andre Hunter out of the starting lineup, the team did just that on Wednesday, as Fedor writes in a separate story (subscription required). The early returns weren’t great, as the new starting five – with Jaylon Tyson in Hunter’s spot – was outscored by eight points in 11 minutes of action in a loss to Chicago. However, sources tell Fedor that the Cavs plan to stick with it for the foreseeable future in the hopes of stabilizing the second unit and getting Hunter, who thrived as a sixth man last season, back in his “comfort zone.”
According to Joe Cowley of The Chicago Sun-Times, the Bulls‘ priority in the coming months shouldn’t be competing for a play-in spot — it should be doing all they can to unlock the star potential of forward Matas Buzelis, who has been up and down in his second NBA season. In Cowley’s view, it’s not inconceivable that Buzelis and Josh Giddey could be the only current Bulls still on the roster in a year, so maximizing their potential is crucial.
As Tony East of Circle City Spin details, a handful of Pacers players provided updates this week on injuries they’re coming back from or are continuing to deal with. Among those players was Bennedict Mathurin, who admitted that the toe injury which sidelined him for 11 games earlier in the season isn’t fully behind him. “Still an issue. I would say it’s still a problem, but I’m a problem solver, I find solutions,” said Mathurin, who has played in every game since November 17. Asked specifically how the injury is affecting what he does on the court, the Pacers wing replied, “Without saying too much, I can still feel it, man.”

Stein’s Latest: Kings, Harden, Kessler, Rozier, Jones, Payton

December 18th, 2025 at 2:51pm CST by Luke Adams

If executives around the NBA were asked which team is viewed as the most likely seller ahead of this season’s trade deadline, many would name the Kings first, according to Marc Stein of The Stein Line (Substack link).

“Active is the word I would use to describe them,” one exec said of Sacramento.

Few players on the Kings’ roster are off limits, with the team seemingly open to inquiries on anyone outside of fourth-year forward Keegan Murray and rookie Nique Clifford, Stein writes.

Sacramento has “certainly” made veterans Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan available, Stein continues, though the club is reportedly telling teams that it has no intention of attaching draft assets – or highly regarded guard Keon Ellis – to any of its higher-paid vets in order to accommodate a deal.

Stein has more to share from around the NBA:

A number of teams are keeping a close eye on Clippers guard James Harden, a source tells Stein. Given L.A.’s disappointing record, Harden’s age (36), and his contract situation (he holds a partially guaranteed player option for 2026/27), the former MVP would make an intriguing trade candidate if the Clippers are open to moving him. Stein points out that the Timberwolves are among the teams seeking a play-maker on the trade market.
Echoing recent reporting from Grant Afseth, Stein says the Pacers have registered interest in Walker Kessler, though he adds that the Jazz have shown no signs that they want to trade the big man ahead of his restricted free agency.
Commissioner Adam Silver and the NBA haven’t confirmed one way or another whether the Heat would be permitted to trade Terry Rozier while he remains on leave following his arrest in connection to a federal gambling investigation. However, Stein hears that the Heat are “quietly confident” that the league wouldn’t block them from making a deal that includes Rozier’s $26MM+ expiring contract for salary-matching purposes.
Nuggets two-way forward Spencer Jones is being viewed as a near lock to have his contract converted into a standard deal later in the season, Stein reports. Denver has an open spot on its 15-man roster but is navigating the luxury tax line. Still, the club seems likely to promote Jones, who has been active for all 25 Nuggets games so far and has averaged 8.2 points and 3.9 rebounds per game on .564/.448/.682 shooting in 10 games since entering the starting lineup.
Like big man Christian Koloko, veteran guard Elfrid Payton has also recently joined the Spurs‘ G League affiliate in the hopes of making an impression on NBA evaluators at this weekend’s NBAGL Showcase, Stein notes.

Scotto’s Latest: Markkanen, Hornets, Murphy, Walker, Kuminga, More

December 18th, 2025 at 11:58am CST by Luke Adams

Utah will send its 2026 first-round pick to Oklahoma City if it lands outside the top eight, and if the season ended today, the 10-15 Jazz would have the NBA’s 10th-worst record, making their first-rounder likely to change hands. Given that context, executives around the league are wondering if Utah’s front office will be active on the trade market in the hopes of weakening the roster in the short term and ensuring the club keeps that pick, writes Michael Scotto of HoopsHype.

However, according to Scotto, the Jazz continue to signal that they want to build around forward Lauri Markkanen, despite trade interest in the star forward. In the past, rival execs have viewed the Pistons, Spurs, and Grizzlies as potential suitors for Markkanen if he’s made available, Scotto notes.

As for Utah’s plans beyond this season, the team hopes to use its 2026 cap room to improve its roster, either via free agency or the trade market, Scotto writes. Retaining Walker Kessler still appears to be a priority too — the Jazz turned down a trade offer for Kessler from the Lakers similar to the one L.A. made for Mark Williams, sources tell HoopsHype. The Jazz could carry a cap hold of about $14.6MM for Kessler next summer before going over the cap to re-sign him at a starting salary higher than that.

Here’s more from Scotto:

The Hornets are hoping to get an extended look at their roster with LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, and Miles Bridges all healthy and available. Still, Scotto hears that Miller’s inconsistent availability has executives around the NBA wondering if the former No. 2 overall pick might not be as untouchable in trade discussions as he once was.
The Warriors and Trail Blazers are among the teams who are high on Pelicans wing Trey Murphy III, but rival executives believe Golden State would prioritize making a run at Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo before giving up significant assets to land Murphy, Scotto writes. There’s also still plenty of skepticism that New Orleans would part with Murphy at all, with some execs speculating that it might take a package similar to what Memphis got for Desmond Bane.
Following up on his previous report stating that the Pacers are among the teams with interest in Keon Ellis, Scotto notes that Indiana forward Jarace Walker came up in trade discussions with the Kings. However, Scotto cautions that it’s unclear which team brought up Walker’s name in those talks that he describes as “exploratory.”
Checking in on Jonathan Kuminga, Scotto says the Kings continue to monitor the Warriors forward, but confirms that the Suns‘ interest level has decreased and that the Nets were never all that interested. The Pelicans have also been linked to Kuminga in the past, but it’s unclear whether they have interest now, Scotto adds.
Partizan Belgrade, the Serbian team recently linked to Malik Beasley, has also expressed interest in free agent point guard Cameron Payne, sources tell HoopsHype. As for Beasley, he has also drawn interest from Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in the EuroLeague, as well as the Chinese Basketball Association teams Liaoning, Guangdong, and Shanxi, per Scotto.

Trade Rumors: Nets, Thomas, Mavs, Suns, Sabonis, Pacers, More

December 16th, 2025 at 3:01pm CST by Luke Adams

As the only NBA team with cap room, the Nets figure to be active on the in-season trade market and will be open to taking on unwanted salary if it comes attached to a more valuable asset. However, as Brian Lewis of The New York Post writes (subscription required), there will be over-the-cap teams around the NBA with the ability to accommodate salary dumps using various exceptions, so Brooklyn will have competition in that space.

“It’ll be interesting. There’s other teams in the market for taking on money: Utah will be in that market, Washington will be in that market,” an assistant GM told Lewis. “We’ll see if the Nets — again, it’s worked out for (general manager) Sean (Marks) in some respects — but the Nets have often charged a premium for (that). They’ve wanted to hold to their valuation and get a number they feel really good about. So we’ll see if they get undercut in that salary dump market, if other teams want to do it cheaper.”

According to Lewis, the Nets are also expected to listen to inquiries on several of their own players, including guard Cam Thomas. But Thomas has the ability to veto any deal that involves him and it’s unclear whether there will be much of a market for him anyway, Lewis writes.

“Obviously, we’ve all seen him have these games where he can fill it up, and there’s a certain segment of the Nets fan base that is obsessed with him,” a veteran Eastern Conference executive said of Thomas. “And yet, I think this is another coaching staff now where it doesn’t seem like the coaching staff (is all-in on) him, doesn’t seem like he helps the team win.

“But I try to value every player around the league, to understand what other teams are going to do. And I wonder if anybody is going to pay him a mid-level. I know he thinks he’s worth a lot more than that, but he won’t get more than that. I feel like I wouldn’t be interested in really having him on my team at all. But also, as you say that, then you play against him and he scores 30 points … in one of those games where shots are going in and you feel like an idiot for saying it.”

Here are several more trade-related notes and rumors from around the NBA:

Checking in on the Mavericks‘ trade plans, Christian Clark of The Athletic says the team is willing to listen on several of its veterans, but wants to be competitive and isn’t inclined to hold a fire sale prior to this season’s deadline. Clark also spoke to multiple sources with rival teams who think Dallas is more likely to hang onto Anthony Davis through the deadline than trade him on or before February 5.
Sam Amick of The Athletic recently suggested that the Suns have had interest in Kings center Domantas Sabonis in the past and could be among his suitors if he’s on the trade block this season. However, Gerald Bourget of Suns After Dark (Patreon link) hears from a source that Phoenix isn’t interested in making a play for Sabonis.
Following up on rumors indicating that the Pacers are on the lookout for their center of the future, Dustin Dopirak of The Indianapolis Star considers which players Indiana might target on the trade market.
Looking ahead to the trade deadline, Zach Harper of The Athletic considers which NBA teams should be preparing to buy, which will be sellers, and which will probably end up standing pat. Meanwhile, John Hollinger of The Athletic shares his “All-Deadline Team” for 2025/26, identifying several players he thinks will dominate trade rumors and be involved in deals this season. In addition to obvious names like Jonathan Kuminga, Hollinger spends some time discussing more under-the-radar trade candidates like Timberwolves guard Mike Conley, Thunder forward Ousmane Dieng, Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan, and Wizards guard CJ McCollum.
In his own look ahead at trade season, Kurt Helin of NBC Sports singles out a few potential candidates to be dealt and considers potential fits for some of them, speculating that Nets center Nic Claxton could be an option for the Warriors and suggesting that the Lakers will have interest in Kings guard Keon Ellis.

Pacers Sign Gabe McGlothan To 10-Day Contract

December 16th, 2025 at 10:16am CST by Luke Adams

10:16 am: The signing is official, according to the Pacers.

8:57 am: The Pacers are promoting forward Gabe McGlothan from their G League affiliate to the NBA, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that McGlothan will sign a 10-day contract with Indiana via a hardship exception.

McGlothan, 26, went undrafted out of Grand Canyon University in 2024 and spent his first professional season with the Nuggets’ G League affiliate, the Grand Rapids Gold.

Indiana’s NBAGL affiliate, the Noblesville Boom, acquired McGlothan’s returning rights from the Gold over the summer and he has taken on an increased role for the Boom this fall, averaging 16.9 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.9 assists, and 1.9 steals in 33.8 minutes per game across 14 Tip-Off Tournament outings. The 6’6″ forward has knocked down 52.6% of his shots from the floor and 90.0% from the free throw line.

McGlothan will get his first look at the NBA level from a Pacers team that has been hit hard by injuries this season. Teams aren’t permitted to sign standard 10-day contracts until January, but hardship 10-day deals are permitted if a club has four players who have missed three or more consecutive games due to injuries and are expected to remain sidelined for at least two more weeks.

Indiana has qualified for hardship exceptions for most of the season, having signed Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Cody Martin, and Garrison Mathews to a total of five 10-day contracts (Mathews has since signed a rest-of-season deal and is still on the roster). Currently, the Pacers are eligible for a hardship exception due to injuries affecting Tyrese Haliburton, Obi Toppin, Aaron Nesmith, and Ben Sheppard.

Coach Rick Carlisle Explains Why Kam Jones Was On The Active Roster For Friday's Game

December 15th, 2025 at 9:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Second-round pick Kam Jones hasn’t played yet this season, but he was on the Pacers‘ active roster Friday night. Coach Rick Carlisle believes there was value in having the rookie shooting guard participate in the game-day experience, even though he didn’t get on the court, relays beat writer Tony East (Twitter link).